Meditations on The One Indivisible Truth
Sat-Naam Kartaa-Purahk
Nirbhau Nirvair
Akaal-Moorat Ajuni Saibangh
Guruparsaad
Jap
Ik-Onkaar: The one, the reality, Om
Sat-Naam: of Name ever True and Eternal
Kartaa-Purahk: The Prime Doer, the Creator
Nirbhau: Fearless
Nirvair: Without enmity
Akaal-Moorat: Of Eternal Form
Ajuni: Without birth, Uncaused
Saibangh: Self-existent and Self-illuminating
Guruparsaad: Known by the Grace of the Enlightened Teacher
Ik Onkaar
The One God, the Absolute Reality
The Upanishads declare that there is only one Reality.
Guru Nanak Ji In one of his Shabads echoes this fact: “Nanak Kahat Jagat Subh Mithyaa, Jnu Supna Raheenaaie”
Nanak says this world is an illusion, like the dream at night. We think that Ishwar, jeeva & the world are three different entities. But the reality is they are one.
The wave is neither distinct nor separate from the ocean. Vedanta reiterates this eternal truth in the statement, “Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithyaa, Jeevo Brahmaiva Na Apraah
Brahma Satyam: Brahman, the Infinite, alone is real.
Jagat Mithyaa: Jagat, is an illusion.
Jeevo Brahmaiva Na Apraah: And jeeva, or the individual ego, is that Infinite alone, not something other than it.”
There is only the One, there is nothing other than That.
How can we name or describe the truth?
The Rishi’s indicated the Truth through one syllable OM, which contains the three sounds AAA, UUU and MMM. All other sounds are located within the compass of these three basic sounds.
As we know, all sounds are shaped either in the throat, in the mouth or at the lips. AAA emanates from the throat; UUU is shaped in the mouth and MMM at the lips.
AAA the first sound represents the Creator.
Bramha ji
UUU signifies the Sustainer Shri Vishnu ji
MMM is associated with the Destroyer, Mahesh or Lord Shiva.
The One Infinite Reality from which the entire universe appears, in which it is sustained, and in which it is dissolved, alone the one Ishwara who is the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer - Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. They are not three. Only one is playing the three roles. As such through Ik Onkaar Shree Guru Nanaak is invoking that one Lord who is Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh simultaneously.
“AAD SUCH, JUGAAD SACH, HAI BHI SACH, NANAK HOSI BHI SUCH”. “That which was there in the beginning, that which was there through all the ages, which is here in the present, and will always remain even in the future, is the Reality. That which is negated or not present at some point in time is not real”. Sat-Naam His name is Sat, Ever True
A name is given to something that exists, never to that which does not exist. And here the name itself is Sat, which means ‘the Eternal, Changeless Existence’.
Everything in this world of nama, roopa and guna – this world of name, form and quality is ever changing. It therefore cannot be Sat. So what is the Reality supporting the world?
The Atma Chaitanya who is the witness of the three states and therefore of the entire world of experiences, who is the witness of the ever changing body, mind and intellect, is the Eternal, Changeless existence, which in philosophy we call ‘Truth’ and in religion ‘God’.
This is the real I , the Atma Chaitanya, who is the Changeless in all the changes, which is Om and is named Sat. He who knows this has recognised the Truth. Therefore from the names of God Shri Guru Nanak Ji has Chosen Sat Naam.
Sat Naam also means ‘His Name is true’, or, put another way, ‘He is true to His name’.
His name is ‘Truth’ it leads us to Him and reveals the Truth.
As a name also connotes status, this implies that He the Lord, has great name and fame. He is the one with the greatest position or status. And it is certainly so, for He is.
KARTAA PURAKH
The Only Doer, the One Creator
“PURI PURI BASANTAA SAA PURUKHA”
Nirbhau NIRVAIR
Fearless and All-loving is He
These two words, Nirbhau and Nirvair, are adjectives qualifying the Lord of the universe, Ishwara, the Kartaa Purakh. On a higher & subtler level, the same adjectives indicate the qualities necessary for the seeker on the quest for the Truth.
AKAAL MOORAT His Form (Existence) Transcends Time
He is beyond time, therefore without death or change. There are some who believe that God created the world and then perished. By addressing the truth as Akaal Moorat Guru Nanak Ji is pointing out that God has not become the creation, but is merely appearing as the creation. Thus the universe is not real, it is superimposed on the Reality.
Sri Krishna in the Geeta says that this Aatman cannot be destroyed by any weapon or any of the forces of nature. Wind cannot dry it nor water wet it nor fire burn it. The Self is ever indestructible and Eternal.
Ajuni He is Without Birth or Beginning
God has no birthday. He was never born. That which is born must one day die. God is beyond birth and death. So is the Aatmaa. What is born is the body, not the Aatmaa and what dies is also the body, not the Aatmaa.
Ishwara or the lord has no ignorance or ego, therefore no vaasanas or karmas. So he does not to take up any form and undergo the experiences of life forms such as plant, animal or human. That is why He is also called Ajuni. He who in devotion surrenders to the Lord realises His own true nature as the Aatmaa, which is ajuni, ‘unborn’, is freed from the cycle of birth and death.
God is the one changeless cause of the universe. Still, someone may ask, ‘If God created the entire universe, who created God?’ Shri Guru Nanak Ji says, “He is Saibangh.”
SAIBANGH He is Self-existent and Self-illuminating
That which is the cause of the entire universe has nothing other than itself as its cause. So no one created God. He was ever-existent and will ever remain.
If we say that someone created God, then the next logical question would be, “Who created that which created God?” And we could go on and on ad nauseam. So logically we could conclude that there s one ultimate self-existent cause of the universe, and that cause we call the supreme
Reality or God.
This self – existent Reality, by what can it be know How can we recognize it?
Shri Guru Nanak Ji says, It is Saibangh, which means It is ‘shining in its own light’….. It is ‘self-illuminating’.
It us if the nature of Consciousness without which even the sun cannot be seen. This Consciousness which lights up the entire universe including the body, senses, mind intellect, because of which the entire universe is known and in Whose light of awareness, the sun, the moon, the stars the lightening and the fire shine, what other source is required to illuminate It? It is ever shining in its own light.
How can such a Reality be gained? It can be gained only through…..
Guruparsaad
The Grace of the Guru
In the context of the mool-mantra, Guruparsaad also means that the Lord who is Saibangh is Himself the Compassionate Guru.
He who is the Karta Purukh , the one Doer or Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer, he alone takes the form of the Guru to liberate us from the bondage of samsara.
Therefore we say, the “Guru Brahama Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara, Gurureva Param Brhamaah, Tasmai Shri Guruve Namah. Guru is the Creator; Brahma Guru is the Sustainer, Vishnu. Guru is the Destroyer -, Shiva. Guru is the Lord of the universe. Guru alone is absolute reality, Param Brahma. Unto the noble Teacher, my humble prostrations.”
Shri Guru Nanak ji Say’s “GUR ISAR, GUR GORAKH BARMAA, GUR PARBATI MA-EE”. Guru is Isar or Lord Shiva, for He destroys the ignorance and al the evil in us. Guru is Gorakh, the Protector of the cows – Shri Vishnu who protects us, sustains our aspirations for the higher and nourishes us with noble virtues.
Guru is Brahmaa, who creates in us the desire to know the Truth and inspires us to live a divine life. Guru is Mother Parvati, who fulfils all our pure desires and feeds us with the milk of Divine knowledge.
He is the Guru of all creatures.
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